The Fate of Paul Morphy.
Paul Morphy, the famous chess-player, is in a New Orleans asylum
hopelessly insane. He was born in that city in 1840, of wealthy Creole
parentage, and his adoption of the game as a business, not only offended
his relatives, but occupied the years in which he might have achieved
success in some other career. He returned to his home suddenly and
thoroughly disgusted with chess - and so prejudiced against it that he has
never since played. He has subsequently led an idle, morose life. His
daily routine existence involved a walk through some of the streets of New
Orleans every morning, where his dapper little figure - always
scrupulously well dressed - became as well known and as regularly looked
for as the noonday bell. After his daily promenade he retired in his box
at the opera, where, it is said, he never missed a night. It is further
related that during these years he permitted no friendly acquaintance; he
was never known to associate with anybody but his mother, and persistently
repelled advances from those who, having been friends of his early youth,
desired to renew their associations. He lived a strange life, a strange,
moody and peculiarly mournful man. About a year ago he began to lose his
mental control, and several months ago was put in a private asylum.

The Herald of Health: Papers on Sanitary and Social Science By Thomas Low
Nichols, M.D.; 1881